ExCEL fellows urge students to get egg-cited

Egg drop event intended to stir interest in experiential learning

Photos/Mike Lovett

The Brandeis community, well-known for its quirky activities and events, has yet again devised an interesting advertising strategy – this time, for the Experiential and Community-Engaged Learning program.

Students are invited to the Great Lawn from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday (or in the Shapiro Campus Center atrium should it rain) for an egg drop. Zoe Oppenheimer ’14 and Emily Bunker Peterson ’13, ExCEL Fellows and co-chairs of this event, planned the egg drop in order to generate more interest among students about the opportunities through experiential learning.

“We decided to host an egg drop because we wanted to give Brandeis students the chance to try out an experiential activity,” says Oppenheimer. “Experiential learning is essentially ‘learning by doing’, so we decided to let students try out different strategies to figure out the best way to save their eggs from cracking.” Peterson added, “We also thought that an egg drop would be a fun way to make students aware of experiential learning opportunities around campus.”

Eggs will be dropped from the Shapiro Campus Center balcony (see guidelines below).

Experiential Learning courses boast intellectual diversity because students from any year or major are encouraged to participate in these classes and activities. Students can choose from not only the Experiential Learning courses but also practicum courses, internships, Justice Brandeis Semesters or community service.

Oppenheimer shared that sentiment about her experiential learning history as well.

“I took my first experiential learning course my first semester at Brandeis, and from that experience I found out about some other experiential learning opportunities at Brandeis,” says Oppenheimer. “Since then, I have taken many experiential learning courses, have had internships and even participated in a summer language immersion program. Throughout these experiences, I have come to realize that I learn best when I am actively learning, rather than just passively sitting in a lecture hall or reading a textbook.”

The hands-on aspect of Experiential Learning could intimidate potential students, but Peterson reassures everyone that there is nothing to fear. “Experiential Learning often involves working with others who have common interests and goals, whether from the community or around campus,” she says. “Many EL courses and practicum courses are fairly small too, so be prepared to bond with other students and professors! Most importantly, though, have fun with it! EL courses allow students to explore their interests and grow in an enjoyable environment!”

[Complete list of experiential learning opportunities at Brandeis and in the Waltham community]

Rules and guidelines for the egg drop event:

• Students, administration, faculty, and staff are all welcome to participate!
• You may create your contraption individually or in pairs
• You may bring in your own materials (but after you are done, you must leave them at the event to be used by other participants)
• 90% of your contraption must be made of recycled materials
• You cannot use more than 5 different types of materials
• When you finish your contraption, please hand it off to an ExCEL Fellow who will drop it off the SCC balcony
• Everything that is used in the contraptions will go back into the material pile after the contraptions have been dropped
• After your contraption has been dropped, take some time to write down some reflections about your egg drop experience on the Reflection Board link
• Speak to an ExCEL Fellow about ways to get involved with Experiential Learning